Flight Tests Begin for Honda Experimental Business Jet

12/16/2003 3:30:54 PM

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. announced today that the
HondaJet, its new experimental compact business jet equipped
with
Honda-developed HF118 jet engines, successfully completed
the initial
flight test this month at Piedmont Triad Airport in North Carolina.

Compared with conventional jets, this experimental aircraft
offers
superior fuel efficiency and remarkable cabin space. The
engines are
optimally positioned on the upper surface of the main wing in a
unique configuration that reduces drag at high speed and
increases
cruising efficiency. This layout also eliminates the need for
structural engine mounts in the fuselage, creating over 30%
more
cabin space than in a conventional aircraft.

The fuselage is a compact and lightweight unified carbon
composite
structure, yet realizes the largest cabin in its class. The main
wing, which features aluminum skin panels chiseled from single
sheets
of aluminum that provide a smoother surface than conventional
wing
configurations, along with Honda's proprietary
turbulence-reducing
laminar airfoil, work together to significantly improve
aerodynamic
performance. Additional drag-reducing technologies include the
fuselage nose, which is designed to generate laminar flow.
These
features, in combination with Honda's fuel-efficient HF118
Turbofan
Engine, provide fuel efficiency over 40% better than conventional
aircraft.

This experimental aircraft is also outfitted with a
state-of-the-art glass cockpit with an integrated avionics system,
as
well as an autopilot function, anti-icing equipment, and other
systems. The jet is scheduled to undergo approximately 200
hours of
flight-testing to demonstrate and verify the operability and
performance characteristics of its various systems.

Honda began research into compact business jets in 1986,
using
engines provided by other manufacturers. The HF118 Turbofan
Engine-equipped HondaJet experimental compact jet is the first
Honda
developed aircraft to be outfitted with a Honda engine, a
milestone
of significance for the company and the industry.